The Sandcastle

Headed to a party following directions from memory. The party is on BLM land in an area we’ve visited before so we think we know where we are going. Past the Shell station, turn right, go about three miles, look for our group on the left. Likely to be the only RV group with a boat here in the desert.

So, we go past the Shell station, turn right at the sign that says BLM 14 day use area, drive about two and a half miles down the road and suddenly find ourselves in this.

Now, we know all the other RVs in our group did NOT drive down this road. So we pull off to the side to turn around.

And get our Sandcastle caught in a sand trap!

Put boards under the jacks to lift the wheels enough to put boards under the wheels then try to drive out.

Alley oop! Onto and over the boards. Into another hole. Now what?

Call for reinforcements. Dave, Lee (driving his 4-wheel drive truck) and Mike come to the rescue.

Much discussion. More people arrive to help. More discussion. I start worrying about the view through our windshield.

Lee drives his truck around the area in front of us looking for the firmest ground. We jack up the RV again and make use of every one’s wood to build a road out of the hole.

And drive right out!

And down the correct road, the one RIGHT behind the Shell station. The one that’s paved all the way down to our site.

It’s dark by the time we get to the right place but, hey! We are HERE!

TTYL,

Linda

Oh, did I tell you that when we got stuck we discovered our toilet is leaking again and had overflowed? Now where’s that boat?

Saturday we were headed for an overnight in Tucson, Arizona. We thought we might stay at a park west of town that has been recommended to us by several people. But there was a state park closer to our route that also gets rave reviews. At the last minute we decided to go to Catalina State Park, http://www.azstateparks.com/parks/cata/index.html.

But, I hadn’t done any route planning to that location so I quick called it up on Google Maps on Dave’s iPhone and ask for a route to the park.  It said we should take exit 255 from I-10 and follow state route 77 to the park. Which we did. More or less.

As we were driving north on a multi-lane, divided, suburban street a car ahead of us suddenly took a sharp left across a couple of lanes to get in the left turn lane. We manage to stop without hitting that car. He apparently was responding to a truck carry one of those electronic warning signs. The sign said, “Ina Road closed.” We would be crossing Ina but not turning onto it so we continued north.

And came to a road block. Not only was Ina closed but so was Oracle, the road we were on. We had to make a u-turn, which required the guys directing traffic to move some trafic cones for us but, at least, the street was wide enough for us to make the turn without having to unhitch our car from behind our motorhome. So, we drove back south to another major cross street, took that west to the next major cross street, and turned north again. Onto a street that was being rebuilt.

The right half of the street had no pavement so all the traffic was sharing the left half of the street. With lots of stop lights that were not timed to deal with the unusual amount of traffic being rerouted down it.

So we crept along for a couple of miles then finally turned right to get back to the street we wanted. As we were turning left on Oracle again, those directing traffic were starting to remove the cones which would have let us go straight through.

But, I am now VERY glad we did not come straight down that street earlier in the day. For where we were forced to make our u-turn was where a man went on a shooting spree yesterday. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0108/Arizona-shooting-Rep.-Gabrielle-Giffords-hit-at-meeting-with-constituents

Those people who were just making their normal Saturday morning visit to Safeway were the ones who had a really bad trip. We got off easy.

TTYL,

Linda

Billboards. Love ’em or hate ’em. I find many of them very entertaining. Unsold ones are appearing along our roads with more frequency in these tight economic times so the billboard companies are advertising their availability.

There’s one company that paints their unsold billboard black then puts what looks like a bumper sticker with their phone number angled across it in case you want to rent their billboard. The problem is the number is too small to read from the freeway. Why would I want to do business with a company that doesn’t understand their own product?

Then there’s the plain but honest one that says, “This sign for rent.” We would have had to circle back past to get their phone number but at least it was readable if I hadn’t spent our time driving past reading the first part.

Then there was one that filled the entire billboard with their phone number. No problem reading that one but not really fun to read either.

The one that advertised itself as “Road Candy” made me wince. Isn’t that what sticks to the bottom of your shoe? Or what your kid picks up off the street then wants to eat? Yuck!

Here’s some I liked.

“Let’s make a big impression.”

“Read ’em and reap.”

“Wish you were here.”

“Advertising at the speed of sight.”

“Use your outside voice.”

“Ad space as big as your first apartment”

“I could recommend a restaurant.”

Next to a picture of a golf ball entering the hole, “We’ve got a lot of practice hitting the green.”

The one I’m wating for? “What’s your sign?”

TTYL,

Linda

Prompted by things I’ve seen along they way.

A car that said, “Veterans Affairs Police.” Do the people who administer veterans’ benefits misbehave enough to need an entire police force to monitor them? Or are veteran’s that promiscuous?

Is the Holiday Inn named for Christmas? You know, the holiday that celebrates the most famous hunt for a place to sleep?

In Mississippi the sign said, “M DOT”. In Minnesota it says, “MN DOT. I suppose Mississippi didn’t want to use their two letter abbreviation though. That would make them be MS DOT which would probably be pronounced Miz Dot and some southern lady would named Dorothy would try to answer.

A sign in New York said, “Break a treaty; break a law.” But, we already know our government doesn’t abide by it’s own laws, right? Never has. Probably never will.

Sign on a truck advertising Hunter Drums. “You can’t beat our drums.” Then what good are they?

At a rest area the sign said diesels over five tons are not to be left idling. So we turned off our engine. But, we have a diesel generator running our house air conditioning and the day is hot. I say, “The generator isn’t over five tons.” Dave replies, “It isn’t idling.” So we let it run.

“Jesus saves.” He must be rich by now. Think of all that interest.

The sign said, “All vehicles with livestock must exit.” But the truck must have been carrying pork since it said, “Make a pig of yourself.” Does that make it deadstock? Being carried by a meat wagon? Which is another name for a hearse? Enough of that line, OK?

Hobo signs are petroglyphs and pictographs. Shouldn’t we be preserving them?

The way we travel now makes me think of the card game Liverpool Rummy with it runs and sets.

“Do not throw litter.” Drop it gently.

On US 380 in Texas, “Watch for water on the road.” Is that like cross your fingers and hope?

“Slower traffic keep right.” But before we could get into that lane the next sign said, “Lane ends. Merge left.” Do you think maybe they could have found a better location for that first sign?

The sign on the truck said, “For all your concrete and construction needs.” But there was no company ID on the truck. I guess if you were supposed to know who to call you already would know.

Dentist advertising, “LOL again.”

On the back of a semi tractor, “Look what the CAT drug home.”

“Bikers make lousy speed bumps. Be aware.” Not funny; necessary.

Had enough yet?

TTYL,

Linda

Cue the RVer’s theme song by Willie Nelson. All join in now: On the road again…

Fulltime RVers who travel across the southern states call the route the I-10 route. Even though part of it follows I-12 and part of it follows I-8. Most of it follows I-10.

But, we have little in common with the movie “The 3:10 to Yuma” except our determination to get where we are going. For us right now that’s Yuma, Arizona, where our Escapee group is having a big get-together next week.

Wish us good weather with no cross winds, please.

TTYL,

Linda